Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology

by Anthony, Jane

  The sight of the hard planes of his chest made the temperature rise another ten or twenty degrees. I couldn’t help but think about running my hands over his pecs, kissing my way down those washboard abs and following that happy trail to my own personal version of paradise. Swallowing a sip of ice-cold water, I shrugged.

  “He’s putty in your hands. You do know that, right?” Rob glanced down.

  “So you’re playing the part of the concerned friend?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I guess I am. He could barely function when you left him before. I don’t want to see him go through that again.” His gaze met mine, worry in his eyes.

  My face flushed. “I know.”

  “So what’s your plan?” he asked.

  I took in a deep breath. “I miss him. When I finally got everything I thought I wanted, it wasn’t enough.”

  “You know he doesn’t want to leave Swallow Springs.”

  “I know.” He’d always been perfectly clear about that. But if I could get him to come visit me in Omaha, maybe he’d change his mind.

  “What are y’all talking about over there?” Jake shouted.

  “None of your business,” Robbie yelled back. Then he turned to me. “Just go easy on him?”

  “I promise.” Seeing Robbie’s concern made me question what the hell I was doing. I didn’t want to hurt Jake again. But we were grown up now. Older. Smarter. We could keep our hearts intact. We could get back together and things would be just like they were before. Probably even better. Omaha was only five hours away.

  I left Robbie standing on the corner and made my way over to where Jake stood rinsing off the minivan. The family waited: dad, mom, two elementary-aged kids, a toddler and a baby. That could be us. The mom handed the baby over to the dad while she dug in her diaper bag for something. One of older boys squatted down to hold out a dandelion to the toddler girl. She squealed and tried to tuck it behind her ear.

  My eyes watered as I watched the interactions between the family. As an only child, I’d never had siblings to play with. Jake and I both talked about a big family back when we thought we were old enough to make decisions about that kind of stuff. As the mom took the baby back and the dad leaned down to kiss her, my heart filled up with longing. This. This right here was what I was fighting for.

  Resolved to get Jake back whether he was ready or not, I stalked toward him. “Need some help with that?”

  He looked up in time to see me whip my tank over my head and toss it on the ground.

  “What the hell are you doing?” he asked.

  “Helping you wash cars. I don’t want to get my shirt wet.”

  He stood, moving the hose with him. The water shot out, away from the van.

  “Jake, watch it!” I yelled, but it was too late.

  The spray from the hose drenched the family I’d been admiring. The baby let out an ear-splitting shriek. Dad threw his arms out, trying to step in front of his wife. The two boys laughed and danced around while their little sister clung to her mommy’s leg.

  As Jake turned to face the family, he dropped the hose. It landed on the nozzle, sending a spray of water into the air. Icy droplets fell on my shoulders, my hair, my face, sprinkling onto my bikini top.

  The dad stalked toward us. “Hey!”

  “Sir, I’m so sorry.” Jake put his hands out. “That was an accident.”

  “Here, let me get you a towel.” I raced over to where the drying crew had a few clean, dry towels they hadn’t used on a vehicle yet, then took them over to where the mom stood trying to dry off the baby and the little girl with her skirt.

  By the time I’d passed them off and walked back to Jake, he and the dad were done talking.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  Rob joined us. “Hey, why don’t the two of you take the rest of the day off?”

  “No. I came to help.” Jake bent to pick up the hose. “I said I’d pitch in, and I want to do my part.”

  “Your part can be not pissing off any more customers.” Robbie reached for the hose.

  Jake held onto it for a long moment before giving it up. “Whatever.” Then he stalked off toward the back of the parking lot.

  I snagged my shirt from the ground and tried to catch him. “Hey, wait up.”

  He whipped around, the look on his face more resignation than anger. “What?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For what? I’m the one who doused a baby with water.”

  “Yeah, well I’m the one who distracted you, I guess.” I tugged my shirt on over my head while I waited for him to say something.

  “Are you done yet?” His shoulders slumped forward.

  “Done with what?”

  “Done with the idea that we need to get back together?” His gaze drilled into me. He meant it. The flirty feel good banter we’d shared was long gone.

  “Did you see that family?”

  “Yeah. I saw them. Saw them yelling and crying and a dad who wanted to level me.”

  I reached out to take his hand. He didn’t resist but he didn’t encourage me either. “Before that. We used to talk about having a slew of kids, remember?”

  A smile teased the edge of his mouth. “Enough to play baseball. Yeah, I remember.”

  “We can still have that, you know.” For a moment I thought I’d gone too far, pushed him too fast. But then he gripped my hand in his and squeezed.

  “I’m not sure that’s what I want any more, Misty.”

  “What do you mean?” My lungs squeezed out every last bit of air. I held my breath, waiting for him to continue.

  “Just doesn’t seem to be in the cards for me.”

  “Well we’re not going to figure that out while we’re standing here dripping wet, are we?” Trying to put a humorous spin on the conversation, I shook my head. Droplets of water flew everywhere.

  “Hold up. You’re getting me all wet.”

  “Turnabout’s fair play, wouldn’t you say?”

  He stepped back, shaking his head. “About tonight.”

  I didn’t want to give him a chance to cancel. Not now. Not when I was close to making my point. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “A bet’s a bet.” I shrugged. “I wonder if Sal still has that cheesy garlic bread.”

  “You never used to let me get that when we went there.”

  “Yeah, because it made your breath stink, and I didn’t want it to taste like I was French kissing a bulb of garlic. Lucky for you, kissing’s off the table, so you can have as much stinky bread as you want.”

  He pulled his baseball cap further down on his forehead. “You always did get your way.”

  I wanted to correct him. Tell him I do get my way, not that I did. But instead I gathered my hair into a knot at the base of my neck. “Seven o’clock.”

  “All right.” He let out a sigh as he gazed at his feet.

  “Don’t look so excited, you’ll give me a complex.”

  “Just a bet.”

  “Two old friends catching up over dinner.” That’s what I wanted him to think. That’s what I needed him to think so he wouldn’t back out.

  “Fine.”

  “Later, then. Try to stay dry.” I lifted my hand and wiggled my fingers in a wave. I might have told Jake I didn’t have much primping to do, but that hadn’t exactly been the whole truth. I’d had no intention of scooting out of the car wash early, but this way I’d have more time to prepare. Hair appointment was at two with a mani/pedi immediately following. Thankfully I’d had the foresight to have a bikini wax last week before I came home. There was no telling where things might lead tonight. Wherever they went, I would be well prepared to follow them.

  14

  Jake

  Misty pulled up at six-fifty-nine. I knew it was her from the roar of her Mustang convertible. She’d been so much more into cars when we were in high school than me. I’d seen her new wheels when she’d been driving around town, but hadn’t had a chance to get a
good close up look yet.

  I slid my wallet into my pocket and grabbed my keys before I met her out front. No need to have her enter my apartment. I didn’t want to have to come home later and smell her perfume. This was neutral space. When Misty left I was still living at home, which meant I didn’t have a flood of memories of the good times we spent here. Not like every day when I drove through town and got bombarded by a barrage from our past.

  “Right on time.” I gave her a grin as I locked up. She looked damn fine tonight. She’d tamed her curls into some sort of hairdo that left her neck exposed. A strappy dress accentuated her curves, making me wonder why I was putting myself through the torture of spending another night in the friend zone.

  “You look nice tonight.” She stopped on the sidewalk in front of my building, her gaze raking over me.

  I hadn’t gone out of my way to try to impress her, but I did have on a new shirt, clean jeans, and a pair of boots I’d shined. “Thanks. That’s a really pretty dress.”

  “Why, thank you. I bought it downtown yesterday. That new shop a few doors down from the bookstore.”

  “Oh yeah?” My mom had been in there a few times, but it’s not the kind of place I’d be caught dead in, not with the pink tissue paper flowers and twinkle lights hanging in the windows.

  “Doesn’t seem like I’ve been gone that long, but I guess it’s been long enough for a few things to change.” She fidgeted with her keys while she waited for me.

  “It’s been more than a year.” Over three hundred sixty five days of wondering where I’d gone wrong, what I’d done to drive her away.

  “But I’m back now.” She glanced up, a bright smile on her made-up lips. “Thought you might like to drive tonight.” She tossed me her keys.

  Instinctively, I reach out and snagged them from the air. Misty’d had a series of interesting rides since she’d learned how to drive, and she’d always let me have a turn behind the wheel.

  “What’s this baby got under the hood?” I asked, knowing that getting her to talk about cars would be a safe subject. Nice and neutral.

  “It’s a V6, but it’s got a few mods.”

  “You haven’t changed much when it comes to your love of cars.”

  “What can I say? When I know what I want, I go for it and make it happen.”

  We stopped at the passenger side door. I assumed she’d get out of the way so I could open the door for her. But as I leaned in, she held her ground, meaning I brushed against her as my fingers wrapped around the handle.

  The sweet smell of citrus washed over me, like she’d freaking doused herself in lemons. My mouth watered. I swallowed, trying to tamp down the attraction being this close to her brought on.

  “Can I get your door for you?” I asked.

  “Of course.” She took a half step back then ducked under my arm as I opened the door.

  I waited for her to settle into the low seat, keeping an eye on the way the hem of her dress inched up her thighs as she pulled her seatbelt across her lap. The date hadn’t even started yet, and I was already undressing her in my mind. I shut the door, adjusting myself as I walked around the back of the car. Dinner might take an hour, maybe an hour and a half. I only had to hold onto my sanity and my resolve for the next ninety minutes.

  By the time we got to Sal’s, Misty had filled me in on her apartment, her friends in Omaha, and how she’d single-handedly turned her department around at her job. The way she talked about it made her eyes light up. Made me realize how much she enjoyed the opportunities living in a bigger city provided. Made me wonder why the hell she’d decided to come back.

  We walked into Sal’s, with her leading the way, trailing that lemony scent behind her. Sal himself greeted us at the hostess stand.

  “Ah, one of my favorite couples. So good to see the two of you back together.” He opened his arms and wrapped them around us in an awkward hug. I put my arm around Misty in an effort to protect her from the mixture of Vicks and butterscotch that always seemed to hover around him.

  She hugged him back. “It’s good to be here. I’ve been craving your cheesy garlic bread.”

  Sal snapped his fingers. “An order of the garlic bread. On the house.”

  One of his grandsons, or maybe it was a great-nephew, nodded on his way to the kitchen. No one in Sal’s family got out of working at the restaurant.

  “Right this way, I’ll show you to your table myself.” He stepped ahead of us, smiling and nodding at other diners as we made our way through the restaurant to a booth in the back.

  The decor hadn’t changed since I was a kid, when we’d gather to celebrate fancy family occasions. It was the only place in town to go if you wanted a perfectly grilled steak, and he’d been running the place as long as anyone could remember. The last time Misty and I had been here had been to celebrate our anniversary. If we’d stayed together, we’d be coming up on seven years this summer.

  My heart thunk-thunked at that thought. All of this was too familiar. The way she’d tossed me her keys, the way she slid into the booth first. I’d caught myself before I scooted in next to her. We used to drive people crazy when we’d go out to eat because we always wanted to sit next to each other, not across. Made it easier to keep my hands on her.

  But not this time. Tonight we eyed each other across the table as the waitress rattled off the drink specials.

  “I’ll have a Manhattan,” Misty said.

  A Manhattan? Yeah, things had changed. “Just water for me.”

  “You don’t want a drink to go with that giant steak you’ll be ordering?” Misty asked.

  I shook my head. “Why fill up on beer when I can fill up on grass-fed Angus?”

  Our waitress left to grab our drinks and it was just me and Misty with a stretch of fake wood laminate between us.

  “Remember the last time we were here?” she asked. “It was right before Homecoming dance our senior year.”

  “No.” I fidgeted with the cardboard coaster the waitress had set down in front of me.

  “Yes it was. You had on that suit your mom ordered online, the navy one. During the dance you split your pants, right in the middle of the dance floor.” She smiled, possibly thinking of what happened after that.

  I’d been asked to leave since my boxer briefs were on display. Being my date, she came with me. We didn’t make it out of the backseat of my dad’s giant Buick until long after the dance had ended.

  “I remember the dance”—my cheeks heated—“and everything that came after. But the last time we were here was on our anniversary. Remember?” I could tell by the way her eyes widened and she took in a sharp breath that I’d jogged her memory.

  “That’s when you gave me that ring.”

  That ring? It hadn’t been just a ring. “The promise ring,” I said.

  “The promise ring.” Her gaze drifted to the table and the moment dragged on.

  “One Manhattan and one water. Didn’t know if you wanted lemon in that or not, hon.” The waitress set our drinks down on the coasters she’d left on the table. “Y’all ready to order or do you need a little bit more time?”

  Misty swiped at her eyes as she crawled out of the booth. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “You okay?” I called after her but it was too late. She’d already wound her way through the tables and groups waiting to be seated to make her way outside.

  “I think we need a few minutes,” I said to the waitress. Then I tossed a twenty down on the table, grabbed the purse Misty left behind, and followed her out to the parking lot.

  15

  Misty

  Jake was right. What was I trying to do? I had no right to barge back into his life and demand a second chance. I’d given that up when I walked out on him. He’d given me a promise ring. I hadn’t forgotten that, just like I hadn’t forgotten the fact that he’d actually followed up that promise ring with a real proposal a few years after. I had no idea how hard it would hit me when I finally realized what a fool I’d bee
n.

  “You okay?” Jake gently put his hand on my back as he handed me my purse.

  “Yeah. Sorry about that. I just needed a minute.” I slung my purse strap over my shoulder and turned so he couldn’t see the tears that had started to flow.

  “It’s okay, Misty. Talk to me.” He crowded closer.

  I wanted to wrap my arms around him and cling to him. Like a rock in the middle of a river, or a life raft in a stormy sea. He’d always been my anchor—the one who could keep me grounded when things got out of control, and I felt like flying into a million pieces. But he wasn’t mine anymore. I’d given him up when I walked away.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come back.” In that moment all I wanted to do was flee. I didn’t care where, I just needed to go. To get away from Jake and his memories of promise rings and anniversaries. To escape somewhere where I could pretend that I wasn’t still lovesick for a guy who I’d intentionally walked away from. Who I’d hurt.

  He should have agreed with me. He should have handed me my keys and told me to get going. He should have done a million different things. But he didn’t. He pulled me in close, so close that my cheek smashed against his chest. I couldn’t help but inhale his scent. Fabric softener mixed with the unmistakable smell of Irish Spring soap. It had been so long since I’d smelled that signature scent of his. The T-Shirt I’d squirreled away when I left town had lost its smell long ago. I never realized how much I missed it, how much I’d counted on him to calm me down and settle my nerves.

  Jake’s arms wrapped around me, nestling me into his broad chest, and I lost it. The tears started as a trickle then began to fall. His hands moved up and down my spine, soft and gentle. He cradled me against him like something precious, just like he used to. I tried to turn off the waterworks, but it was impossible. I had a reservoir of bottled up tears that had been waiting for a crack in my armor to start pouring through.

  I wriggled my arms between us so I could try to wipe the wetness from my cheeks. Even my hair came loose and strands of it fell in my face. Some girls looked pretty when they cried, but not me. I was an ugly crier. My nose ran and I tried to dig through my purse to find a tissue.